-
Period: to
Conception through Birth
Pregnancy is a important time for human development, and the conditions during pregnancy can have long reaching effects throughout life. Exposure to harmful or beneficial substances through diet or environment can determine the baby's health upon being born. My mother had a healthy pregnancy and birth with no complications. -
Period: to
The First Two Years
-
Cognitive
At about one year, I said my first word, although I wouldn't start making sentences for another year. I would have developed my information processing skills. I would have also developed my sensimotor intelligence, learning from my experiences and learning about cause and effect. Around 8 months, I would have developed object permanence, understanding that objects continue to exist although they can't be seen. -
Biosocial
In my first two years, I would have gained weight and grown taller. My brain would have also increased in size and complexity. I would have developed my senses and motor skills. I learned to walk at 14 months. My mother was able to feed me breast milk for 12 months, although she had quite a few difficulties due to working full time; she often had to have someone else feed me her breast milk from a bottle. That would have given me the right nutrition and antibodies to have a health life. -
Psychosocial
It is unclear how early psychosocial development begins, but I would have had plenty of interactions with my parents and my older sister. I would have started to express emotions such as anger and frustration by 4 months, followed by other emotions. Learning to express emotions depends on cues from other people, which would depend on culture and parenting styles as well. -
Period: to
The Play Years
-
Biosocial
During these years, I would have continued to grow and further develop my motor skills. I was a very active child and I loved sports from an early age. My parents were very protective of me, but when I was three I did fall off a climbing structure and fracture my hip (better primary prevention would have been good). -
Cognitive
At four, I started pre-school at my local elementary school. I would have continued to develop my language skills, and I would have begun to develop theories about why things happen the way they do. According to Vygotsky, I would have learned based on my interactions with adults and peers. However, according to Piaget, I would not have understood that things change, can be reversed, or that people may have other opinions. -
Psychosocial
As pre-school progressed, I would have become more aware of how my actions affect others and I would have learned better emotional regulation. My parents tried to be authoritative, looking for balance between being strict and permissive. My mother tried not to promote any particular gender role or gender based play in my sister and I, choosing not to buy us many "girl" toys. However, once I started school and saw that the other girls had Barbies, I wanted them too. -
Period: to
The School Years
-
Cognitive
I continued to develop normally with no health problems. At age 7, due to an IQ test I was placed in an accellerated program. It was a good experience for me, and I enjoyed the more challenging classes. However, I now know that IQ tests change throughout time and reflect the culture that created them, more than intelligence itself. -
Psychosocial
At this age, I had a large peer group in my neighborhood and I also participated in my school's Girl Scout troop, which would have taught me to cooperate and develop a moral framework. My family would have been a big influence as well, and I was lucky enough to have a loving, stable family, although I never knew my extended family. -
Cognitive
I would have begun to develop logical thinking at this stage, although my development would have been influenced by my culture and economic status. I learned to read quickly by social interaction (with my mom and my sister), but I learned math by memorization. I had a hard time with rote memorization, especially multiplication tables. -
Period: to
Adolescence
-
Biosocial
In 1998, when I was twelve I started middle school. Although most of my classmates were the same as the year before, some of them didn´t recognize me because I had grown quite a bit, and had changed the way I dress and my hair. This growth spurt is a normal part of puberty, and therefore adolescence, and usually occurs between the ages of 8 and 13. It also occurs later in boys than girls; I remember my disdain when I realized that while I was taller, the boys were not! -
Cognitive
In 2000, I started high school. I remember being intesnsely aware of what other students thought of me, my clothes, and my interests- the so-called imaginary audience. Now, I know they were probably too busy worrying about how others saw THEM to care about me.
In high school, I also had the chance to take advanced classes to develop systematic logic and abstract thinking skills (formal operational thought). -
Psychosocial
In my junior year of high school, I started writing for the school paper. It allowed me to develop my own ideas about social issues and politics, which became an important part of my identity. I also became close friends with the other students who worked on the paper; they had common interests, and they provided additional support apart from my family. My parents probably saw my developing political views as rebelliousness, however. -
Period: to
Emerging Adulthood
-
Biosocial
In 2004, I moved away and started college. While in high school, I was on the track team and had good nutrition (thanks to my parents). However, once I started college I had a hard time finding time to exercise, and it took me a semester to get a routine going. I also had to learn to cook! Both of those things were necessary in order for me to maintain good health. -
Cognitive
College was full of learning experiences for me. In addition to my classes, I participated in several student groups and met people from many different backgrounds. I learned to define and solve problems in a more comprehensive way, which is known as postformal thought. I also got to know people from different cultures and background, which challenged learned stereotypes and shaped my morals and worldview. -
Psychosocial
Thoughout college, my identity became more solidified, and my beliefs and goals became clearer. In 2007, I studied in Chile and became interested in public health, and I later decided that I wanted to go into that field. I also developed close friendships in college, as well as a long-term, serious relationship, all of which I maintain today. -
Period: to
Adulthood
-
Cognitive
Today, I feel that I continue to develop different kinds of intelligence. I feel that my practical intelligence (as defined by Sternberg) is increasing, as I learn new skills at work. I believe that my creative and analytic intelligence is also increasing, although it may later decline with age. As for Gardner´s types of intelligence, I feel that my linguistic and social-understanding intelligence is the most developed, while my logical-mathematical intelligence has declined since school. -
Psychosocial
Today, I am in a long term relationship, and have a close group of friends. I have found a ´niche´ through the community work I do. I have also become closer to my sister, and my parents as well. Although I am not interested in having kids, I do want to play an important role in the lives of my nieces and nephews (my expression of generativity). -
Biosocial
Aging is a fact of life, and it is normal that I will experiece a decline in physical health and ability. However, by maintaining healthy habits such as good diet and exercise, it is possible to have good health throughout adulthood. I think of my mother, who at age 50 has no mayor health problems, is physically active, and has a good diet. Probably, due to a combination of genes and healthy habits, I can have a similar experience. -
Period: to
Late Adulthood
-
Psychosocial
Hopefully, at the age ot 65 I will be able to retire. I imagine myself doing a lot of volunteer work, as I do now, but with a lot more time to do it. I´d also like to take continuing education classes, particularly in the arts. Hopefully, I will continue to have fulfilling relationships with my spouse, family, and friends. There will be many changes, but, as continuity theory suggests, life changes (like retirement) do not have to be disruptive or negative. -
Biosocial
Since I do live a relatively healthy lifestyle, and people in my family tend to live long, active lives, I hope that I will also be able to active later in life. Probably, I will lose some of my sight, hearing, and mobility, but hopefully they won´t have too much of an effect on my ability to do the things I want. I will keep my mind active as well, by reading and taking classes, to avoid memory and cognition loss. -
Cognitive
Like most older adults, I will have some effects on my memory as I age. Explicit memory (consciously learned facts and concepts) will become more difficult to recall, which implicit memory (habits, emotions, and routine procedures) will continue to function. That means I might use more memory-aiding tools, like lists. My family doesn´t have a history of Alzheimer´s disease, and so hopefully I have little risk. -
Death
According to the Life Expectancy Calculator, I will die at age 90. All of my grandparents lived to around that age, so it makes sense that I would too. With the exception of one grandfather, they all died relatively peacefully and without a long illness. So, I hope that my death is similar, and that I do not need hospice or palliative care. I do believe that death is part of life, and I hope to be emotionally prepared when the time comes. -
Period: to
Death and Dying